St. Louis weather doesn't pull punches. Spring and summer thunderstorms, straight-line winds, and the occasional ice storm regularly bring trees and large limbs down across the metro. When it happens to your property, the moments right after can be stressful and confusing. This guide walks through what to do — safely and in the right order — when a tree falls.
1. Safety First: Stay Away From Downed Power Lines
Before anything else, look up and look around. If a fallen tree or limb is touching, near, or has brought down a power line, treat it as a life-threatening emergency:
- Always assume a downed line is live — even if it isn't sparking and even if the power looks out.
- Stay far back and keep children and pets away. Electricity can travel through the ground, the tree, fences, and standing water.
- Call your utility company (and 911 if there's immediate danger) and let the professionals de-energize the line. Never try to move a tree or limb that's contacting wires.
2. Keep Clear of Leaning and Hung-Up Trees
Not all storm damage hits the ground. A tree may be leaning hard against your house, a fence, or another tree, or a broken limb may be lodged in the canopy waiting to drop. These "hangers" and leaners are under enormous, unpredictable tension and can shift or fall without warning. Don't walk underneath them, and don't try to pull or cut them yourself — that's exactly the kind of situation our crews are trained and equipped to handle.
This is not a DIY moment. Storm-damaged trees are far more dangerous than healthy ones — they're loaded with tension, often partly broken, and frequently near structures or wires. Chainsaw injuries spike after storms. Call professionals for anything beyond clearing small, loose branches well away from hazards.
3. Check on People, Then Protect the Property
Once you're sure everyone is safe and clear of hazards, take a quick look at the situation. If a tree has come through the roof or a window and rain is getting in, a temporary tarp over the opening (only if you can do it safely from the ground or a stable spot) can limit further water damage while you wait for help. Don't put yourself at risk to do it.
4. Document the Damage for Insurance
Before any cleanup begins, document everything thoroughly — this matters for your insurance claim:
- Take plenty of photos and video from multiple angles, showing the fallen tree, the damage to structures, and the overall scene.
- Capture close-ups of specific damage — a punctured roof, a crushed fence, a dented vehicle.
- Don't throw anything away or make permanent repairs until you've documented it and spoken with your insurer.
- Keep receipts for any emergency work, tarps, or temporary measures.
5. Understand How Insurance Usually Works
As general guidance — not a guarantee — homeowner's insurance often covers storm-related tree damage when a tree hits a covered structure like your house, garage, or fence, and frequently covers the cost of removing the tree in those situations. Coverage details, limits, and deductibles vary widely from policy to policy. A tree that simply falls in the yard without hitting anything may be treated differently.
The bottom line: call your insurance company to confirm what your specific policy covers before assuming anything. Reputable tree services, including ours, are familiar with this process and can provide the documentation and estimates an insurer typically asks for.
What Counts as an Emergency vs. What Can Wait
Not every bit of storm damage needs a middle-of-the-night call, and knowing the difference helps you act calmly. Treat it as an emergency when a tree or limb is on your home or vehicle, blocking your only way in or out, hung up in the canopy over an area people use, leaning on a structure, or anywhere near power lines. Those situations involve active risk to people and property and shouldn't wait. By contrast, a tree that fell cleanly into an open part of the yard, or a few large broken branches resting safely on the ground away from hazards, can usually wait for a scheduled visit and a free estimate — there's no need to pay emergency rates for work that isn't urgent.
Prevent the Next One
Many storm failures aren't truly random. Dead limbs, weak branch unions, decayed trunks, and trees already leaning are the ones that tend to come down first when the wind picks up. Once cleanup is behind you, it's worth having the rest of your trees assessed so obvious hazards can be pruned out or addressed before the next round of St. Louis weather. A little proactive pruning is far cheaper — and safer — than emergency removal.
6. Call for 24/7 Emergency Response
Storms don't keep business hours, and neither do we. When a tree is on your home, blocking your driveway, hung up in the canopy, or otherwise creating an active hazard, our 24/7 emergency tree service can respond quickly to make the situation safe. From there, we handle full storm-damage tree removal with complete cleanup and debris haul-away. We serve homeowners across St. Louis City, Kirkwood, and Chesterfield, along with the rest of St. Louis City and County.
For related reading, see our guide to the 7 signs a tree needs to be removed — many storm failures start with warning signs you can catch ahead of time.